Ty's arms tightened around her and he gasped, the hot air from his mouth warming her ear. He meant to protect her from Perez, and she nearly laughed aloud at the absurdity. Perez had already done her plenty of harm, but he'd also saved her life.

Ty doesn't know that, she thought.

Eager to dispel the sense of impending danger in the room, albeit the sense Perez himself had created, she wrenched away from Ty's arms and spun to face him, placing herself ...